Daywalker
Rebecca Rock
Twenty-five-year-old Jesse Collins is an enigma: he is half vampire, half Landian, and he was raised by humans. The humans call him a dhampir, an abomination born of a mortal mother and vampire father; they say he should never have been born. Vampires call him a daywalker, a hybrid created to hunt and kill other vampires during the day; they say he should be killed. The Landians believe Jesse represents a power that must either be controlled or destroyed.
But there are also those who believe Jesse could be their salvation-if he can manage his warring genetics and temper his volatile emotions. A war between the Landians and the human Confederation of Planets is imminent, and Jesse may be the only one who can stop it.
He is torn between his three worlds, unable to commit to only one. He longs to be normal, but he can't deny his vampiric nature or ignore the telepathy and empathy he inherited from his Landian mother. To complicate his life further, Jesse is being trained by the humans to fight the Landians as part of an elite military unit called the Shadowmen.
Opposing loyalties weigh on Jesse's heart and mind as he heads into battle to save
the Confederation of Planets in this gripping science-fiction adventure.
Twenty-five-year-old Jesse Collins is an enigma: he is half vampire, half Landian, and he was raised by humans. The humans call him a dhampir, an abomination born of a mortal mother and vampire father; they say he should never have been born. Vampires call him a daywalker, a hybrid created to hunt and kill other vampires during the day; they say he should be killed. The Landians believe Jesse represents a power that must either be controlled or destroyed.
But there are also those who believe Jesse could be their salvation-if he can manage his warring genetics and temper his volatile emotions. A war between the Landians and the human Confederation of Planets is imminent, and Jesse may be the only one who can stop it.
He is torn between his three worlds, unable to commit to only one. He longs to be normal, but he can't deny his vampiric nature or ignore the telepathy and empathy he inherited from his Landian mother. To complicate his life further, Jesse is being trained by the humans to fight the Landians as part of an elite military unit called the Shadowmen.
Opposing loyalties weigh on Jesse's heart and mind as he heads into battle to save
the Confederation of Planets in this gripping science-fiction adventure.
"I got the idea for Daywalker over 30 years ago. Jesse was originally a teenager. I didn't write the first draft until I was in college and Jesse aged with me, so the book started with him in college. I wanted him to be trying to have a normal life even though he's not normal. I wanted to express how different he was by introducing his telepathy and empathy and give him his first obstacle at the end of the chapter."
"Being raised by humans has been a bit of a problem for Jesse and I examined that in this chapter. His foster father has been afraid exposure to vampires would bring out Jesse's vampirism and instilled in him a fear of other vampires, so of course I have to throw him in with some vampires. I also wanted to show the interaction between Jesse and his teammates, in particular, his relationship with his older foster brother Anton."
"I wanted this chapter to give more information about his werewolf housemates and his interaction with them, especially Mick as he will be a recurring character in the series and may even have a book of his own."
"Jesse is the Shadowmen's secret weapon and he proves it in this chapter. He's not afraid to break the rules, whether it is by using his vampirism as a weapon or his Landian abilities to save the lives of his teammates. This chapter also shows the same weapons have the potential to bite him when he least expects it."
"Jesse and his teammates now have a better understanding of what they're up against when they go to the Landian base to destroy it, so they think. Jesse's experiences with the Landians convince him his team needs to become more ruthless, but leave him doubting it will happen."
"Although Jesse is half vampire, he's not immortal or invincible.
I didn't want him to be like other fictional vampires. I wanted him to be able to turn his vampirism on and off.
One of Jesse's weaknesses is his hybrid nature. His mother's people, the Landians, have silver in their blood instead of iron. Silver is normally poisonous to all but the most powerful vampires. Jesse's body is always at war with itself. Another is the fact he was raised by humans after his parents' murder, so he has no firsthand knowledge of the Landians or vampires."
I didn't want him to be like other fictional vampires. I wanted him to be able to turn his vampirism on and off.
One of Jesse's weaknesses is his hybrid nature. His mother's people, the Landians, have silver in their blood instead of iron. Silver is normally poisonous to all but the most powerful vampires. Jesse's body is always at war with itself. Another is the fact he was raised by humans after his parents' murder, so he has no firsthand knowledge of the Landians or vampires."
visit Rebecca's website at www.RebeccaRock.org
